Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures

"You goes racketing around like this, Dobby, I says, and
next thing I hear you's up in front of the
Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures,
like some common goblin."
-- Winky (GF8)

On Level four of the Ministry of Magic lies the
Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures
(OP7). The Department
consists of three divisions:
the Beast Division,
the Being Division, and
the Spirit Division (FB).
They handle complaints about magical creatures, including goblins and ghosts,
they regulate and monitor breeding of new magical creatures (GF24).

After leaving Hogwarts, Hermione Granger spent some years working in this Department, "where she was instrumental in greatly improving life for house-elves and their ilk" (BLC).

In 1750, Clause 73 was inserted in the International Code of Wizarding Secrecy, which states:

Each wizarding governing body will be responsible for the concealment, care, and control of all magical beasts, beings, and spirits dwelling within its territory's borders. Should any such creature cause harm to, or draw the notice of, the Muggle community, that nation's wizarding governing body will be subject to discipline by the International Confederation of Wizards (FB).

Because if this, the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures works very hard to hide the magical creatures living in Britain. They do this by establishing safe habitats, guarded by Muggle-Repelling Charms and other magical means. Some such areas are patrolled and guarded by wizards (e.g. dragon reservations). The Department also strictly controls the breeding and sale of magical creatures. Additionally, individual wizards are legally required to use Disillusionment Charms to conceal creatures that they own.

When a magical creature is seen by Muggles, various methods are used to cover up the incident, including:

memory charms cast by Obliviators (FB)

spells cast by the Invisibility Task-force (DP)

alibis and non-magical explanations concocted by the Office of Misinformation (FB, HBP1)

Miscellaneus:

This Department issues Crup licenses (FB)

"Werewolves have been shunted between the Beast and Being divisions of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures for years, because nobody could make up their minds whether a werewolf should be classified as human or bestial. At one point, the Werewolf Registiy and Werewolf Capture Unit were both in the Beast Division, while at the same time an office for Werewolf Support Services was established in the Being Division. Nobody ever presented themselves for Support Services, for the same reasons that very few ever signed the Registry, and it was eventually closed down." (FB)

Law 15B, passed by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, states in part that "any attack by a magical creature who is deemed to have near-human intelligence, and therefore considered responsible for its actions —". The rest of this Law was not recited by Umbridge to the Centaurs she was insulting because one of them fired an arrow at her (OP33).

Another rule of the Department requires the Minister of Magic to inform the Muggle Prime Minister when dangerous magical creatures are to be brought into Britain. Prior to the Triwizard Tournament, Fudge blithely informed his counterpart that they would be importing three dragons and a sphinx (recalled in HBP1).

Goblins are none too pleased with the way they're treated by this Department (DP3).

A special squad sent out by this Department captured and killed the rampaging, murderous vampire Sir Herbert Varney in 1889 in London (FW, a reference to Jack the Ripper).

Timeline

14th century: Burdock Muldoon, Chief of the Wizard's Council, decided the a "being" would be any creature that walked on two legs while all others would be called "beasts"

Elfrida Clagg, Muldoon's successor, stated the "beings" would be identified as being able to speak in human languages

1692: Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is formed as part of the newly-created Ministry of Magic

1750: Clause 73 is inserted in the International Code of Wizarding Secrecy, making the control and concealment of magical creatures the responsibility of each member nation

1794: first recorded sighting of an Acromantula

early 1800s: first shoal of Shrake created by sailing wizards as revenge on Muggle fisherfolk who insulted them

1811: Grogan Stump sets the current definitions of "being", "beast", and "spirit", and organizes the Department along those lines